Beef row in Assam by-polls: BJP seeks EC action against Rakibul, Congress stands firm

Guwahati, Oct 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought action against Congress' Dhubri MP, Rakibul Hussain, for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by using inflammatory language during campaigning in by-poll-bound Samaguri.

The BJP submitted an official complaint to the Election Commission, stating that Hussain's “repeated remarks on beef eating have led to communal tension in the constituency”.

BJP legislator from Barhampur, Jitu Goswami, lodged the complaint with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in New Delhi on Saturday.

"Such remarks not only violate the spirit of communal harmony but also contravene the Model Code of Conduct established for fair and peaceful elections. The repeated use of these provocative words, widely circulated on news channels and social media platforms, has the potential to incite discord among different communities," the complaint read.

The complaint stems from Hussain's comments during a press meet on Saturday, where the Dhubri MP alleged that beef was served at a BJP-organised gathering on October 23 in the constituency's 13th Mile area.

He also alleged that a fight had broken out among ruling party members at the event over the issue, saying, “The BJP, which speaks against cow slaughter, has stooped to this level to win an election," he was quoted as saying by the local press.

Meanwhile, the state Congress has hit back at the BJP over the complaint, claiming that the BJP indeed served beef at the 13th Mile event.

"We have solid information that they slaughtered three cows for the event. The BJP is resorting to low-level politics to win the Samaguri seat, but they won’t succeed," Ratul Kalita, state Congress spokesperson, told The Assam Tribune.

Kalita further alleged that the BJP has been inciting violence in by-poll-bound Samaguri while the police turn a blind eye.

"On October 15, our Batadraba MLA Sibamoni Bora was attacked, but the police took no action. Again, on October 24, BJP workers attacked a Congress rally, yet the police remained inactive. Behind all this is Barhampur legislator Jitu Goswami, and we demand action against him," Kalita said.